Automatic stop mechanism for sound-reproducing machines.



I R. B. DE VERE. AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FOR SOUND R EPRODUCING MACHINES APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, l9 |6. I 1,223,041 Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

v42 5mm 5 Us VERE I R. B. DE VERE, AUTOMATJC 3T0? MEQHANISM FOR SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-I, I916- {1,223,041. Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

a. B. DE VERE. I AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FOR SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINES.

APPLICATIQN FILED AUGJ. I916. 1,223,04L Patented Apr. 17,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

B. DEVE E "UNI 'RAYMONDBRADEN DE VERE, or sEATrLE, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FOR SOIIND -RETRODUCING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 7, 1916. Serial No. 113,579.

lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stop Mechanism for Sound-Reproducing Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. v

This invention relates to sound reproducing machines and particularly to those-sound reproducing machines which are driven by means of an electric motor. The general object of my invention is to provide means whereby the circuit to the motor maybe broken when the record has been entirely played, thus doing away with the necessity of the operator watching or listening to lift the sound box supporting goose neck or the tone arm just before the record is completed so as to remove the stylus from contact with the record disk.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the sound box may be lifted automatically when the tone arm is swung to its innermost position and the record has been completely played and in this connection to provide means for both automatically raising the sound box and breaking the circuit through the electric motor, this means, however, permitting the lifting of the sound box in order to change needles or for any other purpose.

A further object is to provide electrical mechanism for breaking the circuit through the motor and lifting the sound box which includes a low voltage actuating circuit so that even if the operator does complete accidentally this low voltage circuit, the result will not be noticed.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description. I

'My invention is illustrated in the panying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my mechanism applied to a sound reproducing machine, the casing of the machine being showrj'in section, the view showing the sound box raised and the motor circuitopen;

accom- Fig. 2 is a like view to Fig. I, but showing the, motorcircuit closed and the sound box lowered; i

Fig. 3 is a top plan view ofthe construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is-a fragmentary side elevation of the tone arm, theadjustable arm being in section Fig. '5 is a front elevation of the latch mechanism; and

Fig.6 is a perspective view of the-latch mechanism.

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the adjustable arm which carries the contact 49, the straps 45 and the shaft s8 being shown in section.

In the ordinary talking machine and particularly in thosetalking machines which are driven by means of an electric motor, it is necessary that the sound box should belifted upon or just before the completion of a record in order that the needle may not scratch over the surfacezT of the record and harm it. Furthermore where talking inacliines are provided which are energized by an electric motor, the circuit through which is closed by the insertion of'a coin, it is necessary to provide some automatic means ,for stopping the'motor at the completion of a record and lifting the sound box so that -the tone arm may be shifted back to its original position. The invention to be described provides means for automatically accomplishing this so as to eliminate the necessity of any attention being paid to stopping the motor. In thedrawings I have illustrated the essential features of an ordinary talking machine using disk records and operated by an electric motor, it being understood how-.

'ever, that the device is equally applicable to a. large variety of machines diifering in details. In these drawings 10 indicates the rotatable table upon which the disk record '11 is supported, this rotatable table being driven by means of a spindle 12 operatively connected to a gear wheel 13 in turndriven from an electric motor 14 of any suitable construction. All ofthese parts may be as usually formed. Coacting with the disk is a tone arm 15 which .is also of usual form and I have illustrated this tone arm as being pro- 1km Patented Apr. 1331917.

The contact 21 is mounted upon but insulated from a spring 23 which in turn is mounted upon a metallic bracket 21 attached. to-a wooden base or supported in any other suitable manner}. The bracket 24: has upper and lower arms. Passing loosely through the base, the lower arm 25 and the upper arm 26 of the bracket is a vertical rod 27 which carries upon it the collar 28'normally disposed'just below the upper. arm 26 and forming a stop and surrounding the lower end of the rod. 27 and bearing against this collar "28 so as to urge the rod 27 upward is a coil spring 29. Mounted upon the rod 27 but offset there from is a fiber block or other insulating member 30 which carries the contact 22. Mounted upon the rod 27 is a collar 32 to which is hingedly connected a fiat link 33 having thereon a'detent 34. Above the collar 32 and link 33 is a latch. 35 pivotally mounted upon a support 36 extending up- .the core of the magnet Pivotally con-- adjustable upon this stationary section. As. illustrated, though I do not Wish to be lim-.

.the machine.

ward from the bracket '24. This latch is perforated for the passage of the rod 27. On one end of this latch 35 is an armature 37 coacting with an electro-magnet 38 carried'on an arm 34? on the bracket 21. A spring 39 urges this armature away from nected to the extremity of the link 33 is a link 40 consisting of spaced parallel rods, this link being pivoted to the arm 25. 'The latch 35 carries a detent 4:1 with which the detent 3 1 engages as illustrated clearly in Fig. 6. Nhen in use the rod 27 is depressed, thus swinging the .link' 33 into a vertical position so as to carry the detent-34 into engagement with thedetent 41 as illustrated inFig. 2. This compresses thespring and as the links 33 and 40'cannot move outward the spring is held in thiscompressed condition until the latch 35 is released. For the purpose of making and breaking a circuit through the coil 38, I provide an adjustable arm formed of two sections 12 and 43,

the section 42' being operatively connected to a post 44 mounted upon the casing of This post 44: is preferably of electrically conductive'material as are the sections 4-2 and 43 of the adjustable arm. The section 42 I will hereafter refer to as the stationary section and the section 43 as ited to this, the motion 43 isslidably mounts theshifting of the adjustable arm so that it will not shift accidentally. The extrem- "ity of the section 13 carries upon it a con derstood that there is sufficient resistance t tact member 49. the lower end of which is angularly bent into a plane parallel to'tlie plane'of the disk 11. The section 473 car- 'I'lOSl-IPOH it a laterally projecting lug 50 formed With a'socket 51 for the reception of the central stud 52 which projects up from the table 10 and is for the purpose of centering'the disk 11. The post "l--lis electrically connected with the clectroana net '38 and the other side of this electromagnet is grounded upon the tonearm 15 in any suitable manner and the styl-us of the sound box is electrically connected with the tone arm. It will therefore be seen that when the stylus 18 contacts with the contact 49, that a circuit will be completed through the magnet 38'. For the purpose of providing current for this circuit. I preferably connect' in the circuit from the post H to the tone arm thesecondary coil 53 of a step-down transformer whose primary coil 5% is connected incircuit with the wiresacross the circuit 19. The current ordinarily used for the motor is, we will assume, one hundred and ten volts and the stepdown transformer very greatly reduces volt- I age of the'induced current in the circuit when the playing of a record has been completed inorder to thereby lift the needle from its engagement'with the record, I provvide the upper end of the'rod 27 with. an 1 arm 55, which arm extends out, laterally and beneath the tone arm 15. \Vhere a goose neck is used, as llustrated in the drawings, which is'pivoted or swingingly mounted .upon the extremity of the tone-arm, 1 provide a lever 56 pivoted intermediate its ends upon the tone arm and shown aspivoted upon a clamp 57 mounted on the'tone-arm' Mounted upon the goose neck v16 is a clamp 58 having an outwardlyprojecting arm 59 and the extremity of the lever 56 rests over and upon this arm. It is obvious therefore that when the inner end of thelever 56 is raised the outer end Will be depressed and this acting upon the arm 59 will cause the goose neck to be rotated and the soundbox raised. Where my mechanism is applied to a talking machine in which no goose neck is used, but in which the tone arm is vertically movable,

eeann then the arm extends directly underneath and engages with the tone arm so that when the arm raises the tone arm willbe raised and the lever 56 and clamps 57 and 58 are not used.

in order to eliminate noise when the latch plate is released, I preferably provide a rubber bumper 60 above the collar 28. Contacts 21 and compose the switch that con,- trols the motor. in case the operator wishes to stop the machine before the record. is fully played, the 'reproducer is raised from the record. and the arm 15 is swung so as to bring the stylus 18 to any part of the arm 42. The result will be the same as if the record had been fully played. In Fig. 1, the control circuit, that is the circuit including the magnet 38, is cut in back of this switch but in case small lights are to be used in the cabinet, which is a common con struction, the circuit should be out in in front of the switch. This will be obvious to any electrician. I have illustrated one end of the lowvoltage circuit as grounded on the reproduccr arm, but this connection may be made anywhere on the casting that leads to the tone arm or any arrangement may be made which will provide a metallic connection between one end of the low voltage circuit and the stylus of the sound box.

The operation of my invention will be obvious to those skilled inlihe art. The cont-act carrying arm composed of the sections l2 and i3 is lirst lifted. with relation to the turn table and the record placed on the table. The contact arm is then'returned to its original position with the. lug disposed in engagement with the centering stud 52. The adjustable section 43 is then adjusted upon the relatively fixed section 42 so as to bring the contact shoe or member 4.9 directly over the last grooves on the record, that is:the grooves nearest the center of the record. Then the rod 27 is depressed. therod having a button at its upper end for this purpose, and this depression of the rod 27 carries the member 34 into engagement with the detent 4i. acquired the proper speed, theneedle is placed on the record in the usual manner. When the record has been entirely played the stylus on the sound box will come in elcctrical engagement with the contact 49 and a circuit will be completed through the coil 38 drawing down the armature 37 and causing the latch to release the detent 34. The spring 29 willv then cause the upward projection of the rod 27 so as to separate the contacts 21 and 22 and break the motor circuit. 11* the same time the upward movement f'the rod 27 will cause the arm to engage with the lever .56 shifting the inner end of this lever upward and rotating the goose neck 18 so as to lift the sound box from the record, or if a-maclnne is used When the turn table hasabove the turn table after the machine has been started and if for some reason or other,

the operator wishes to change the record or make some adjustment, this circuit maybe accidentally closed through the operator with unpleasant results if the circuit is of 1 high voltage. The closing. of this low voltage circuit can hardly be felt.-

While I have illustrated what I regard a a thoroughly effective form of my invention,

l I do not wish to be limited to this as. it is obvious that many changes might be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

.Iaving described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with a sound reproducing machine including a sound boxand an electric motor for operating the ma chine, of a spring actuated sound box lifting device and circuit breaker disposed in the motor circuit, av latch holding said lifting device and circuit breaker from 01)- eration, and means automatically" operable after the motor hasoperated to, alpredeter mined extent, releasing saidlatch tothereby eause the simultaneous lifting of the sound box and the breaking of the iiiotor circuit. 3

2. The combination with a sound repi-o: ducing machine including a tone arm, a sound box and stylus,'a motor disposed in circuit with a source of energy, a contact member adapted to be disposed in the path of movement of the stylus, a switch in the,

motor circuit, a switch operating and sound box lifting member normally urged in a direction to open the switch and lift. the sound box, means holding said switch actuated and sound box lifting member from movement, said means being disposed in a normally interrupted circuit with the stylus and contact, the engagement of the stylus and contact closing said last named circuit and actuating said switch and sound box lifting member to break the circuit through the motor and simultaneously elevate the i sound box.

3. The combination with a sound repro ducing machine including a tone arm, a sound box, a stylus thereon and an electr c motor for driving the machine and disposed in circuit with source of energy, of a contact member adapted to be disposed in the path of movement of the stylus and connected in an electric circuit therewith, said circuit being'normally interrupted,a switch for breaking the motor circuit including contacts, said contacts being connected in the motor circuit, a sound. box lifting membcrcarrying one of-said contacts, a spring normally urging the sound box lifting member in a direction'to separate the contacts and lift the sound box, a latch holding said lifting member against the action of the spring, and electrical means disposed in the second named circuit operating'on said latch to release it when-the second named circuit is completed by the electrical engagement of the contact member with the stylus.

r. In asound. reproducing machine, a sound box supported for vertical movement,

a rotatable record support over which the sound box ismo able, means for-raising the sound box from the record support comprising a erticallyumovable member having an arm operatiyely connected to the sound box,

' able sound box and amotor, of springlactuv a spring urging thememberto a raised posi-' tion, a latch .holdingthe member lowered,

and means for automatically retracting'thelatch when the sound box is shifted over the record support to awpredetermined position. 1 5. The combination with-a sound reproducing machine including a vertically mov ated means for lifting the sound box, a latch 'holding the spring actuated means against its lifting movement, and means-for releasing said latch afterthe motorhasoperated to a predetermined extent.

6. The combination with a: sound repro ducing machine including a, sou id box and a motor, and means for, shiftingth sound box laterally, of positively actuated-means for lifting the sound box,- a latch-holding contactsv in circuit therewith. and with a said .lifting means out'of' Operation, and

"means for releasing said. latch after the sound box has-traveled laterallyto a predetermined point.

,7. The combination with a sound reproducing machine including a sound box movable a actuated sound box lifting twice, a latch holding the lifting device out of operation, and electrical means for releasing said latch" including an electromagnet. and coacting source of energy, one of said contacts being supported at a predetermined. pomt'. mthe path of movement of the sound box and the other being "operativelysupported upon the sound box.

-8. The combination in stalking machine, of a record supporting table, a tone arm, 'a sound box thereon carrying a stylus, a motor operati ely connected to the table and disposed in circl'litwith source of energy, a

switch, a latch holding the switch in position to. close the circuit through the motor,

means for actuating said switch includingan electro-magnet, an arm' havinga contact mounted thereon adapted to be disposed in the path of movement of'the stylus, said path of movement of the t'erally and vertically '-of a spring contact and the stylus-being connected'in a normally interrupted circuit, said circuit beingclosed by the engagement of the stylus with the contact. and means for lifting the sound box comprising. a vertically movable member operati ely engaged with said sound box and urged to a raised position but held in a lowered position by said latch and released when the latch is released.

9. In a sound reproducing machine, a record support, a sound box and stylus cooper ating therewith, an electric motor mounted to drive the support and disposed in circuitwith a source of energy, a contact adapted to be disposed in the path of moyementof the stylus and electricallyconnected there to, a switch in the motorcircuit urged to a position to break the circuit, a latch normally holding 'the'switch closed against said urging means, electrically actuated-'means for releasing said latch anddisposed in the circuit with the stylus and contact, and

means for energizing the last named circuit including a step-down transformer having its primar coil connected to a-sour'ce of energy nd its secondary coil disposed in the second named circuit.

10. In a sound reproducing machine, a record supporting table, an electric motor operatively connected to the table to rotatethe latter and connected in a cir'cuit with a source of energy, a tone arm, a sound box and stylus mounted thereon, the tonearm having movement transversely across the table, an arm pivotally'mounted to one side "of the table and extending across its 'face, the arm being made-in two adjustable sec 'tions, oneof said sections carrying a conswitch, a'spring urging said rod upwart I to, separate the contacts, ed to lock the rod in a depressed position, oneend-ofthe latch carrying an armature coactin'g with the electro-magnet whereby to a pivoted latch adaptrelease'the'latch when the magnet is energized, andja primary coil'of the step-down transformer connected to a source of energy.

11.. ,The combination with a sound reproducing'machine including a'sound box, record support and a motor for rotating the recordsupport, of means for lifting the sound box relative to the record support, reached a predetermined position with relasaid means including :1 vertical rod having tion to the record support. 10 operative engagement with the sound box, a In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my spring urging said rod upward, the rod signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

5 being manually depressible against the RAYMOND BRADEN DE VERE.

' force of the spring, a lateh holding the rod Witnesses:

depressed, and automatic means for releas- (J. E. REMSBERG, ing said latch when the sound box has J. L. BOOTH. 

